From what I heard/read headphones are the greatest contributors to overall sound quality, followed by the file type/compression followed by the actual source.
I presume that this means that if i tried to compare the audio between lets say an Ipod and a S9 using just the standard white apple headphones i would hear little or no difference?
So in that case my question is approximately how much does someone have to spend on headphones before they can actually hear a difference.
Also does it vary from source to source like maybe the difference between a S9 and an Ipod might be audible through a $50 head phone whereas the difference between a s9 and a p3 might only be audible through a $100 pair?
Sorry if this is a redundant/silly question.
Also if anyone's wondering I'm only asking this out of curiosity. :P

Erm, well, with any crap included headphones the difference will probably be minimal. But with any decent pair the difference should be there. . . I can tell the difference between an ipod and my creative DAPS as well as my creative DAPS vs. meh i7. (at least I believe I do)

It depends more on the headphones used then what they cost. A 60$ set of Sony V6's reveals more details/flaws in a source/track then a 200$ set of Audio-Technica ATH-a900 headphones. However, the Audio-Technicas will still in most cases probably sound nicer on both high end and low end setups

Also does it vary from source to source like maybe the difference between a S9 and an Ipod might be audible through a $50 head phone whereas the difference between a s9 and a p3 might only be audible through a $100 pair?
Sorry if this is a redundant/silly question.

Depends on the headphones. Some very cheap IEMs can cause a lot of good DAPs to sound fairly bad just because they overload the built in amp. Some very good headphones are so easy to drive that many typical players will provide essentially transparent reproduction.

I see thanks for the replies guys, hmm i didnt think 50-100 would be enough but i guess i was wrong. As for what Saratoga said about the overloading amp thing, that's pretty interesting I didn't know think of that. So just wondering but is there a technical specification listed with headphones that gives someone an idea of how easy/hard they are to drive?

I see thanks for the replies guys, hmm i didnt think 50-100 would be enough but i guess i was wrong. As for what Saratoga said about the overloading amp thing, that's pretty interesting I didn't know think of that. So just wondering but is there a technical specification listed with headphones that gives someone an idea of how easy/hard they are to drive?

impedance and ohms.

(Not that I know what they mean exactly)

EDIT: Holy crap they are selling the NE-7's without a mic for $40 and calling them the NE-6!

That makes them an even better deal!

Everyone who needs good IEMs for not to much money should buy them NOW!

A brief summary of good cheap IEMs in the ~$20 range is:
The Lenntek Sonix are the basshead's budget heaven - huge amount of bass, but still reasonably textured and present in the the mids and highs

The PL21 are the compromise pair - good, voluminous bass, a decent balance of mids and highs, very lively and fun all-around sound signature

The PL30 are a mini-monitor. They are more neutral than the others, with bass that is more punchy than deep/big. The mids are more forward than the lows (at least compared to the PL21). Best accessory pack of the bunch, too.

The Ai-M9 are the detail freak's budget phone of choice. The balance and clarity are stellar for the price and the high-end extension is the best of the bunch. They do lose out to the others when fit, accessories, and build quality are taken into account though.

Hope that helps.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crimson Raven

Aw, heck, I don't know. I've only had a few kinds of IEMs, so honestly, I can't say.
Sorry.

EDIT: But...they are pretty high-end (the Phonaks), so I'd assume they're better than the Marshmallows. But again, I have no idea.